DeGette revives wilderness proposal

DENVER – Rep. Diana DeGette has proposed a smaller version of a wilderness bill she’s pushed unsuccessfully for years.

The Denver Democrat announced Thursday that she has introduced a bill to designate nearly 715,000 acres as wilderness, including Redcloud Peak in Hinsdale County and Pisgah Mountain in Eagle County. The largest parcel would be nearly 40,000 acres in Unaweep Canyon in Mesa County. Lands within Pitkin County are also included. This year’s proposal does not include lands in the debated Hidden Gems wilderness proposal sponsored by Rep. Jared Polis.

DeGette has proposed versions of the Colorado wilderness bill every term since she took office. A spokeswoman says the matter is important to DeGette, so she keeps re-introducing it. A 2009 attempt would have covered 890,000 acres.

Federal wilderness areas are off-limits to certain activities, including drilling.